Following reports that the Trump administration was considering mobilising as many as 100,000 National Guard troops to round up immigrants who are in the country illegally, the White House have denied any such plans. The Associated Press, citing a draft memo it obtained, reported earlier on Friday that the Trump administration was considering utilising the military reserve branch in 11 states to target people who are in the United States illegally. It was not immediately clear who authored the memo AP cited.

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The Associated Press, according to the memo obtained by them, reported that the Trump administration is looking to step up its immigration policies by mobilizing 100,000 National Guard troops to round up unauthorized immigrants. According to the reports, a 11-page document calls for the unprecedented militarization of immigration enforcement as far north as Portland, Oregon, and as far east as New Orleans, Louisiana, states nowhere near the Mexican border.

Four states that border on Mexico are included in the proposal – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas – but it also encompasses seven states further away from the border.

AP said that the draft memo, written by US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, mentions that the governors in the 11 states would have a choice whether to have their guard troops participate. It would have been the first time that the National Guard personnel were used to assist with immigration-related missions so far away from the US-Mexico border. According to AP, the memo would serve as guidance to implement the wide-ranging executive order on immigration and border security that President Donald Trump signed January 25.

AP said that the memo is dated January 25 and said that participating troops would be authorized “to perform the functions of an immigration officer in relation to the investigation, apprehension and detention of aliens in the United States.”